Weapon-mounted firearm accessories have become an important tool for military, police, militia, and civilian firearm users. Many firearm designs incorporate mounting rails for supporting these accessories. Using an accessory rail interface, a given accessory may be mounted to a variety of firearms or firearms platforms. Likewise, if a particular firearm includes a rail interface, a variety of accessories may be interchangeably mounted to the firearm. The interchangeability of accessories is of particular importance to military and law enforcement personnel attached to special operations units, as this allows a single firearm to be reconfigured to meet certain mission specific needs.
A number of weapon-mounted firearm accessories can be used to facilitate aiming the weapon. Examples of popular firearm accessories include targeting devices, such as LASER sighting devices, and target illuminators, such as flashlights. Firearm mounted flashlights typically attached to a mounting rail and are centered along the bore axis of the firearm. A firearm mounted flashlight is useful to light both the surrounding environment as well as possible assailants using only a single hand. This frees the other hand to call the police or fend off an attacker, or alternatively allows a user to keep both hands on the gun for a more secure grip.
Firearm-mounted lasers may be attached to an accessory rail parallel to the bore axis of a firearm. A weapon-mounted laser sighting system has several potential uses. First, a laser can aid in shooting accuracy and speed, particularly in high pressure situations. Further, lasers can aid in shooting at night or indoors in poorly lit environments. Lasers can also be used to safely practice trigger control. Finally, lasers may work as an intimidating deterrent for would-be assailants. Laser sights for weapons permit a user to aim a weapon by projecting a light beam onto a target. Laser sights permit a user to quickly aim a weapon without viewing the target through a scope or other sighting device. This also permits the user to aim and shoot from any number of other firing positions, such as permitting the user to shoot from the hip. If the laser sight is properly sighted for the distance and wind conditions involved, a projectile, such as a bullet, arrow or shot, from a weapon will strike the desired target where the light dot generated by the laser sight shines on the target.
Laser sights are not, however, without problems. For example, although laser sights work well in low light conditions, in bright light conditions laser sights occasionally perform poorly because ambient light can easily overwhelm the dot generated on the target by the laser light source, making the dot difficult or impossible for the user to see. A laser sight also uses a relatively large amount of power, so the battery life for a laser sight is typically relatively short. Also, as with other sights, a laser sight is adjusted or sighted for a particular distance and wind condition. In some combat situations, the laser beam from a laser sight may also act as a targeting beacon for an adversary.
Thermal gunsights, such as thermal riflescopes, have found use in military applications. Thermal gunsights may also be particularly useful for hunting animals of the invasive species known as feral pigs or wild boars. Feral pigs have become a significant economic problem in the United States, causing an estimated $1.5 billion in annual crop damage alone. Absent any true natural predators, a single pair of feral pigs can reproduce and grow into a population of twenty-five or more pigs in less than 12 months. These animals are known to be highly intelligent and have become nocturnal in areas of human activity. Feral pigs are known to avoid lit areas, even around potential sources of food.